


Jokers Baby Sister

by TrueBlue2763223



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: F/M, Romance, Strong Female Characters, badassery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 21:14:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17393843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrueBlue2763223/pseuds/TrueBlue2763223





	1. Chapter 1

Six years old

My hand was tucked in the grasp of my half-brother as we listened to the screaming of our parents. Or at least, my brother’s dad and our mom. I didn’t know who my dad was. Mom didn’t talk about him, especially if Henry, my brother’s dad, was listening. 

Despite the fact that my mom had gone seeking someone else’s company and ended up pregnant, Henry had let our mother back into his life. Only now, years later, did Henry’s true anger show.

“I have done everything to support you and you are still this ungrateful!?!” 

“Ungrateful?” Our mother exploded. “Ungrateful? All you do is sit around on your lazy ass all day while I work! I found out today that you had been fired nearly three months ago! Why didn’t you tell me Henry!?!”

“Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong bitch!” Henry roared.

“Do not call me that!” Our mother screamed back. 

I flinched at the sound of flesh being hit and curled into my brother. A protective arm wrapped around my waist as I tried to drown out the noise of Henry beating our mother and her pain filled cries. I squeezed my eyes tighter.

“I’ll get you out of here, Elle,” My brother whispered to me. “I’ll get you out of here.” 

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I tripped over my broken and tattered tennis shoes as my brother pulled me along a dark alley. I got my feet back underneath me and pushed forward. I was panting from the mad dash we had done from our house and it was hard to see.

My brother pulled me down next to a trash can as we waited for any sounds of pursuit. Henry had followed us, but unfortunately for him, he was half drunk and was unsteady on his feet. My brother and I could easily out run him. 

But not if he called a few friends. 

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity. My brother turned to me, an unspoken question ran between us and I nodded my head. We started out from our hiding spot and started running again.

Shouts erupted behind us. I made the mistake of looking behind us to see three large men barreling down on us. I let out a squeak in fear and tried to make my already exhausted legs work harder. 

I heard a string of curse words as one of the men must have plowed into the trash can my brother and I had been hiding behind. I would have laughed at his clumsiness if I hadn’t been so terrified. 

I had seen firsthand the kind of men Henry was friends with. Just like I had experience firsthand with how temperamental Henry could be when he was drinking. 

“Get back here you little shits!” Henry screamed into the night. He wasn’t directly behind us, but he was close. Too close.

“We’re almost there, Elle!” My brother said in encouragement and I gasped for breath. My lungs were on fire, just like my legs. Each step felt like a thousand. But if I stopped, my fate would be much worse. “Just a little further.”

My brother’s words sounded like he was trying to convince himself of the fact then me. We finally made it to the sewer entrance. My brother had spent hours roaming the streets for a perfect place to sneak me out of Blüdhaven. 

Eventually he came across a sewer tunnel that connected Blüdhaven to Gotham. My brother pulled the man hole open before lowering me into the tunnel. He climbed a few rungs down and slid the cover back over, encasing us in darkness.

A few seconds later, the flashlight my brother had stuffed into his pockets flared to life, revealing the smelly, dark, rat infested sewer of Blüdhaven. I covered my nose with my arm as we began walking towards the other end of the sewer. The farther we walked, the more I started to stumble until my legs gave out completely. 

“Elle!” My brother exclaimed, catching me from face planting into the wet and dirty concrete. 

“I don’t think I can go any farther.” I whimpered, starting to think that this was all for nothing. My brother stuffed his flashlight into his pocket before shifting me around, so I was draped across his back. 

“Come on, Elle.” He coaxed me. “It’s not that much farther, I’ll carry you.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck obediently as he hooked his arms around my knees. My brother stood up and began walking again. My eyes trailed the bobbing of the flashlight out of my brother’s pocket as concrete went by.

My brother navigated the trash and rat-infested sewer, keeping a steady pace the entire time. The sound of dripping water and rats scurrying against the concrete wasn’t the only thing I picked up.

Occasionally I heard sounds that sounded like moans, or the sound of something slithering along. Even splashes of water that didn’t make sense. It was scary. But my brother was with me and he promised he would keep me safe.

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I was jostled awake as my brother emerged from the sewers and into the city lights of Gotham. Now Gotham wasn’t any safer than Blüdhaven. Of course, now that I think about it, the streets might be worse, but we must have lost Henry and his friends a long time ago. We only had to worry about common street thugs and drug dealers. 

My chin rested on my brother’s shoulder as he walked onto a well-lit street. That short nap I had during the trek through the sewers wasn’t enough to stave off the exhaustion from our mad dash. 

“Are we almost there?” I asked quietly. 

“Almost there Elle, almost there. Then you won’t have to worry anymore.” I wouldn’t have to worry, but would I ever see him again? My brother had been very tight lipped about his plans for himself. His focus had only been on me. 

Eventually we entered a more populated part of Gotham. More cars were parked on the street and more homeless people slept on the sidewalk. This must be one of the safer parts of Gotham if they openly slept on the streets. 

“See?” My brother said as he came to a stop in front of a brightly lit building. “We’re here.” 

I lifted my head up slightly as my brother marched up the stairs and hit the handicapped button with his elbow. The doors opened revealing a clean interior devoid of empty beer bottles and cigarette smoke. 

I let out a sigh of relief at the atmosphere and closed my eyes, safe at last. It was a stress-free environment without constant arguing and yelling, no one was brandishing a knife or a gun, and you didn’t have to walk on eggshells all the time. 

“Can I help you?” A warm feminine voice asked. “Oh! Do you need help? You poor dears look like you’ve been through the wringer! Come on, you can rest in the rec room.”

My brother followed the woman into another room.

“Elle? You still awake back there?” I cracked my eyes open and squinted at his half-turned head.

“Tired, wanna sleep.” I mumbled before dropping my head back onto his shoulder. 

“Ellie, you can’t sleep yet.” My brother chided me before slipping me off his back. I sent him a sleepy glare before looking around. We were in a small room with a table and chairs, a television, a small kitchenette, and a couch. 

I pulled my small backpack off my back and unzipped it. The papers that my brother had stuffed in it hastily were still there. 

“I’ll be right back with someone you can talk to.” The woman cooed gently before leaving the room. I held up the bag to my brother, he took it and peeked inside before breathing a sigh of relief. 

“It’s still here, good.” I blinked at him lazily. I had no idea what he was talking about. What was still there? The papers? 

The door to the rec room opened again and a man with short brown hair and glasses walked in. My brother took a defensive stance in front of me.

“What can I do for you? You in trouble?” 

“I’m trying to get my sister to her biological dad.” My brother said before going on to explain what was happening at home. Minus the knives and guns. “I have her birth certificate, but we don’t have a picture of him.” 

My brother handed the paper that must have been my birth certificate to the man. His eyes scanned over the paper before widening when he reached the bottom. 

“You said she was your sister?” The man asked, looking up at my brother.

“We share the same mother but not the same father.” My brother explained. “My father isn’t very… nice to Elle. I’m worried about her safety.”

The man glanced at me and frowned. I guess he spotted the healing bruise on my upper cheek. He walked over to me and crouched down to my level. 

“How’d you get that bruise, sweetheart?” He asked, pointing to my face. I loosely shrugged my shoulders.

“Henry doesn’t like me, he’s made no effort in hiding that fact.” I responded as my eyes drifted to the floor. I twisted my hands together and fidgeted underneath his gaze. 

“You don’t need to worry about Henry anymore,” The man said gently as my eyes flickered up to his. He had a kind face, unlike Henry, he seemed nice and truthful and my brother seemed to approve of him, so I guess I could trust him. 

“Can you help us find him?” My brother spoke up. The man pushed to his feet and nodded.

“I can do better than that,” The man replied. “I know who her father is and have met him before. I’ll get her to him.”

My brother let out a deep sigh of relief before smiling at me. 

“I guess my job is done.” My brother said before walking over and giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Officer Gordon is going to take care of you until your father can pick you up.”

My eyes went wide, and panic started to set in. He wasn’t staying with me. He was saying goodbye. 

“But-“

“Ellie, I can’t go with you, someone has to stay and watch mom.” My brother said gently as he smoothed my hair down. 

“I don’t want you to go!” I said as my lips began to tremble. “You said you’d always be there to protect me!”

“I know I did, Elle.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bracelet. Grabbing my hand with a gentle grip, he wrapped the bracelet around my tiny wrist twice before securing the clasp. “But you’ll be better off in the long run with your dad.” 

My brother detached himself from my grip and started moving to the door. I went to follow him but the man, Officer Gordon caught me and pulled me back.

“You promised!” I exclaimed, my voice getting higher until I was screaming, tears running down my face. “You promised! You promised!”

The door swung shut behind my brother as he left me wriggling in the arms of Officer Gordon. My struggled faded as my exhaustion set in again. My wails turned to soft whimpers as Officer Gordon swung me up into his arms and hugged me to his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Officer Gordon sat at his desk, rubbing his chin as he stared at the electronic birth certificate of Elise Phillipa Randolph. He was quite sure that Markus Randolph had no idea that a woman had put him down as the father of her child. 

Of course, it was something that could be solved with a simple gene test but first, he had to get ahold of him. Markus Randolph was a very busy man. A very rich busy man. Randolph BioStealth was a business that wasn’t going to run itself. 

Finding him was going to be a challenge on its own. Telling him he had a six-year-old daughter was another. Gordon’s eyes drifted from his computer screen to the daughter that was currently wrapped up in his coat, curled up on one of his chairs.

The trauma of her half-brother leaving her at the precinct was one thing. Running from Blüdhaven to Gotham through the sewers was another. There was no doubt that her brother would do anything for her, even if it meant that he would never see her again. 

He checked the clock on his desk, seven fifty-three. Randolph BioStealth would open at nine. He would have to wait to call Markus’s secretary. But he knew it could take days to get into contact with Markus and then a few more to get him back to Gotham. 

He needed to find a place where he could place Elise for the time being. Not an orphanage. The child was already traumatized enough, she didn’t need to feel more abandoned then she already did. He pressed the comm button on his desk. 

“Yes Officer Gordon?” The secretary’s cheerful voice floated out of the comm box. 

“Can you have some birth records and labs drawn from Gotham General?” 

“Of course! What is the name?” 

“Elise Randolph, middle name is Phillipa if you need it.”

“I’ll have the records sent to your desk, sir.” 

“Thank you.” He turned off the comm and leaned back in his seat. It had been a long night shift, and the last thing he expected was for a teenager to walk into the precinct and ask for his half-sister’s father to be found. 

He had to admit though, the loyalty and care the boy had for his little sister was astonishing. To sneak of out the house and run across two cities, just to get his half-sister to safety. That took dedication.

A knock on his cubicle drew his attention to one of his fellow Officers. He was standing at the opening holding up a coffee cup and a paper bag.

“Long night?” Officer Brown asked as he handed over the coffee and bag. Gordon’s eyes trailed over to the girl curled up on one of his seats and took a sip of coffee.

“You have no idea.” He murmured. 

“Who’s the kid?” 

“Apparently, one Elise Randolph. Her half-brother dropped her off early this morning. His dad didn’t like his mother’s infidelity.”

Brown grunted before realization dawned on his face and he stood straighter. 

“Did you say…?” Gordon nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I did, her birth record checks out, but I need a gene test to confirm it. The only problem is I have no idea where Markus is at the moment. For all I know, he could be half way around the globe.” 

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Markus Randolph’s interest was piqued as he brushed his three-week-old shaggy beard and inspected the bolt of cloth he had traveled half way around the globe and through thirty miles of tundra to find.

The cloth showed great promise for what his current project needed. All he had to do was bring back a sample to Gotham and have his engineers and scientists test it. The brown eyebrows that sat above equally soft brown eyes pinched together.

He turned to his translator.

“I’ll take it and whatever stock they have.” The translator nodded his head and spoke to the people who made the cloth in rapid fire. They nodded several times, bowed, and walked back into their tents to retrieve the rest of the cloth. “Double the payment they require.”

The translator nodded as one of Markus’s bodyguards and closest friends flagged him down from the side. Markus walked over to him.

“You have a satellite call from a police officer in Gotham.” Russel said, jerking his thumb at Bryon who was in charge of communications. “You want to take it, sir?” 

“Which police officer?” Markus asked, frowning. Why would a police officer be contacting him? Bryon rattled off his question into the satellite phone. 

“It’s Gordon!” Bryon called. If his longtime friend Gordon was calling, something must be wrong. 

“I’ll take it!” Bryon handed the phone over and Markus pressed a hand against his other ear to block out the wind noise. “This is Randolph!”

“Markus! It’s Gordon, I hate to interrupt a trade but I’ve got an issue here that directly relates to you.” 

“What is it?”

“Are you familiar with a woman named Margot Hunter?” The blood that flowed through his veins froze. He knew that name alright. But he hadn’t heard from her in over six years.

“Yes, I am. But I haven’t spoken to her in over six years.” Markus responded, a feeling of dread growing in the pit of his stomach. Gordon sighed over the phone.

“I don’t know how to put this lightly, but Margot put you down that the father of one of her children.” The breath left Markus’s body at his friends words. It was only when Russel slapped him on the back did he draw in a breath again. “Markus?” 

“What?”

“She put you down as the biological father. I can’t find out if this is true without your gene’s. Margot’s eldest dropped off his half-sister early this morning. Said that Margot’s husband didn’t like her and there was evidence of abuse. I need to know if what the sister’s birth certificate says is true.”

“I met Margot almost seven years ago.” Markus replied as he rubbed his head. “It was a fling, it is possible that she is my daughter. I just finished up a deal, I can be back in Gotham in about a week or twos time.” 

Markus could feel the relief from Gordon over the phone.

“Perfect, I’m going to send her someone’s house until you get here. Do have a preference?” Markus pursed his lips for a second.

“Why don’t you contact Martha and Thomas? I am sure they’d be willing to take care of her until I get back.”

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I picked at the bagel Officer Gordon had given me when I woke up. It was better than anything that I had at the house with mom or my brother. My fingers stopped picking at the bagel as reality sunk in. 

He really wasn’t coming back, was he. 

“Elle?” I glanced up at Officer Gordon, he had told me that after calling my biological father, he was going to arrange for me to stay with friends of his while my father traveled back from his trip. “The Wayne’s are here.”

I stood up front my seat and retrieved my bag before slinging it over my shoulder. I trudged up to him with my eyes trained on the floor. I followed him out of his cubical and into the main entrance. He crouched to my level.

“Everything’s going to alright, Elle.” He told me, I lifted my eyes to his.

“He promised he would never leave me.” I whispered. “He promised.”

“Your brother wants you to be in safest place possible, where you never have to worry about anything. All he wanted to do was protect you.” Officer Gordon said before standing up and grabbing my hand. “The Wayne’s are very nice people, they even have a son close to your age.”

I dropped my eyes back to the ground as the doors to the precinct were opened. An older man strode in wearing a fancy uniform.

“Officer Gordon!” The man said in a regal English accent. “I hope you had a lovely evening.”

“Better than hers I can assure you.” Officer Gordon said before looking down at me. “Alfred, this is Elise Randolph. She goes by Elle.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Elle.” The old man said. “I am Alfred Pennyworth, Butler to the Wayne’s.”

“Your father said it might take between a week to two weeks to get back to Gotham.” Officer Gordon said to me as I looked up at him. “You’ll be fine with the Wayne’s, if you want or need to call me, Alfred has my number okay?” 

I nodded at him before trudging over to Alfred. Alfred put a gentle hand on my back and began to steer me towards a very nice-looking black car parked in front of the precinct. He opened the door back door to the car and gestured for me to get in. 

I climbed into the car and fastened my seat belt before fiddling with the zippers on my faded backpack. Alfred got into the driver’s side of the car and began driving away from the precinct.

The city flew by, showing the nicer parts of Gotham until we left the city completely, turning onto a lone access road that trained all the way up a mountain to the mansion that sat on top, overviewing the rest of the city.

Landscape passed until the car reached a gate. Alfred drove through the gate and up to a massive mansion. It was a beautiful building with equally beautiful landscaping. How anyone could afford this was beyond me. 

“Welcome to Wayne Manor, Miss Elle.” Alfred said before he got out the car and walked around to my side. He opened the door and it took all of my concentration power to not openly stare at the place. “This way, Miss Elle.”

Alfred led me up the front steps and into the lavish manor. I glanced around the main entrance, staring at the paintings, pictures and expensive furniture. I absentmindedly followed Alfred through the halls and rooms until we ended up in a kitchen that would make most restaurants feel shame. 

“Have you been in school, Miss Elle?” I shook my head. Yet another thing my mother and Henry disagreed on. “Hmm, I think I’ll see what I can do.” 

Alfred went to the fridge and began to rummage around, pulling things I had never seen before out and setting them on the counter. 

“Alfred?” My head snapped to a doorway way where a black-haired boy loitered around. His blue eyes flickered to mine and I stared back. The boy slowly blinked at me while I slowly blinked back.

“Good morning Master Bruce!” Alfred spoke up, shutting the fridge door. “This is Miss Elle. Your parents are looking after her until her father gets back from his trip.”

The boy, Bruce, let out a small grunt before wandering over to the massive kitchen island and climbing up into a seat. Alfred went back to the ingredients he had pulled from the fridge and began to mix things in a bowl.

“Miss Elle, please, take a seat. I am sure you are hungry.” I trudged up to the chairs and pulled myself into one. “Do you have any food preferences?”

I shook my head.

“Perhaps you can take a note from Miss Elle’s book, Master Bruce?” Alfred said with a raised eyebrow. Bruce huffed and crossed his arms.

“I am not picky.” Alfred gave him a humorous look before going back to what he was mixing. Minutes later, two steaming plates full of potatoes and eggs were placed in front of Bruce and I.

I stared at the potatoes in confusion. Chopped potatoes? For breakfast? I poked a bite with my fork. The outside was crispy, but the inside was soft. A hand reached over with a red bottle and squirted a thick red substance onto the potatoes.

I turned to Bruce and gave him a blank stare while he returned to his own potatoes, they too, were covered in the red stuff.

“Tastes better with Ketchup.” Bruce mumbled in between shovels of food. What was Ketchup? Must taste fantastic by the way Bruce was shoveling the potatoes into his mouth. I shrugged and stabbed a Ketchup covered potato before shoving it into my mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

I held my breath as footsteps drew near. My heart pounded in my chest as they stopped a few feet away. Seconds later the heavy curtain I was hiding behind was slid aside and Bruce’s face was in my field of vision.

I let out a squeak and darted towards the exit of the library, Bruce was hot on my heels. Thank god I decided to not wear socks today. I rounded a corner and bolted down the long stretch of hallway.

I was halfway down the hall when two long and skinny wrapped around my waist. Bruce and I went tumbling to the floor in a heap of limbs. 

“I told you I was faster!” I let out a huff as I sprawled out on the marble. My short sprint had taken a lot of energy.

“Yeah, yeah, Wayne.” I griped as I turned my head to look at Bruce’s face. He had his stupid little grin on his face. The one he showed when he proved himself right. 

“I told you he’d win.” I looked up to see Rachel looking down at us with her hands on her hips. 

“Just because you tell me something, doesn’t mean I’m automatically going to listen to you the first time.” I retorted as Rachel rolled her eyes. 

“You’re worse than Bruce sometimes, Ellie.” 

“Rachel!” A woman called from within the house. “Say goodbye to Bruce and Elle, it’s time to go!” 

“Well I’ll see you two hooligans later.” Rachel said before turning around and flouncing down the hallway. I let out a huff, grumbling about not being a hooligan while I got back to my feet.

“Now what do we do?” I asked. 

“You still want to learn how to play the piano?” Bruce asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“Duh,” I replied.

“Come on then,” Bruce replied before we headed for the library. One of the grand piano’s I knew the Wayne’s had sat in the corner of the library. Bruce sat down on the right side of the piano bench and patted the empty space beside him. I obediently sat down next to him and waited for the instructions. 

“First things first,” Bruce announced. “Posture. Feet flat on the floor and back straight.”

I flattened my feet on the floor and adjusted my posture until it was straight. I looked at Bruce.

“Second, you want loose, limber fingers.” Bruce placed a hand on the piano and showed how he arched his fingers and kept them loosely touching the ivory keys. Reaching up, I tried to mimic his hand, placing my own on the keys. “Your fingers are still too stiff and flat.”

Bruce reached over lifted my hand up slightly until my fingers were at a more bent position and only briefly touched the keys.

“That’s better.” Bruce said. “Now press down the keys I do. A. B. C.”

I copied his movements as Bruce pressed more keys. Single notes erupted from the piano. I don’t know how long Bruce and I sat next to each other, just pressing keys, but I found that I loved the sound of music. 

The rich notes that came from one key resonated in my body was gave me a calming feeling. Bruce moved from the white keys to the smaller black keys. Different notes came from the piano, similar to the ones previously but somehow so different. 

“Want to try a song?” 

“If I fail, I’m blaming you.” I responded before placing my hand back on the keys. Bruce grinned at me before shaking his head.

“I won’t let you fail, I’ll guide your hand to the keys.” Bruce said before placing his hand onto of mine. “Don’t forget, you can’t let your fingers get stiff.”

Bruce moved my hand to rest on a section of black and white keys before pressing my finger. 

“G sharp.” He said before pressing another one of my fingers. “C sharp, and E.”

We repeated the three keys over and over until Bruce moved my hand again and started to play different keys with my hand. 

“A, C sharp, E. A, C sharp, E.” He muttered as we pressed the keys. “A, D, F sharp.”

As the keys were pressed, a beautiful melancholic tune came from piano. Our hands moved around the piano pressing different keys as Bruce muttered each key we had pressed. The music filled the library until all I could hear was the tune coming from our fingers. 

Bruce lifted his hand as we finished what had to be the last note of whatever the piece of music had been.

“That was beautiful, what was it called?” I asked.

“Moonlight Sonata, Alfred taught that to me. There are different levels of the piece, but I thought you might enjoy the simplest one.” Bruce explained as he opened one of the music books sitting in front of us and flipping through the sheets. “There’s some pretty tricky stuff in here that I am still having a hard time playing.”

“What can you play?” I asked, before blushing. “I mean that in a nice way. I am sure you are a great pianist.” 

Bruce tapped his fingers on his chin as if thinking for a few seconds before putting his fingers back on the keys. His fingers flew across the white keys as a completely different tune came from the piano. Bruce finished the short piece.

A knocking on wood drew Bruce and I’s attention to the library doors. Alfred stood by the door looking regal as ever.

“Master Bruce, Miss Elle, it is time for dinner.” Bruce and I turned around on the piano bench and stood up. 

“What’s for dinner Alfred?” Bruce asked as we left the library and headed for the smaller dining room. 

“Beef Wellington, Master Bruce.” Bruce made a face and started grumbling about how a steak would have been better. While Alfred shook his head. “It was your fathers request, Master Bruce.” 

“Steak would have been better.” Bruce huffed as we entered the dining room. 

“Bruce, Elle.” Mrs. Wayne said with a bright smile. “How was your day?”

“It was fine, mother.” Bruce replied as we took our seats. “Rachel came over and I started teaching Elle how to play the piano.” 

“Did you?” Mr. Wayne said as Alfred started placing dishes on the table. “Did you enjoy the piano, Elle?” 

I nodded as Alfred deposited a slice of the Beef Wellington onto my plate. 

“Well that’s good that you enjoyed it, the piano is a lovely instrument.” Mr. Wayne replied. I nodded and started eating the food on my plate.   
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Dinner finished and after a wonderful dessert that included fudge brownie Sunday’s with homemade hot fudge and chopped Reeses, I headed to my room. I sat on the side of the bed I had been sleeping on and fingered the bracelet that my brother had wrapped around my wrist before leaving.

I had vague memories of my mother wearing it back when things were somewhat decent in our house. My mother and Henry both had stable jobs and my brother, and I went to school. 

Things might have been far from perfect, but to me at that time, it was paradise. There wasn’t anything I needed or wanted that I didn’t have, and there was no yelling. I think Henry fell into the wrong crowd. 

I don’t know what he got into but whatever it was, it is bad, and it destroyed the happiness in our small family. 

I let my hand drop back into my lap and stared at the beautiful painting hanging above the stone fireplace adjacent to the bed. I wish I had the talent to paint something as beautiful as that. The most I could paint or draw that this time was stick figures and suns in the corner of papers. 

My door opened slightly, and Bruce darted into the room, silently closing the door behind him. A few seconds later Bruce climbed up next to me and plopped his body down on the soft comforter. 

“Hey Bruce.” I muttered quietly. We sat in silence for a few moments. 

“I hope your father goes on more long trips.” Bruce said quietly. “That way you can come over all the time.”

“I can’t live with you, Bruce.” I said, giving him a side look before returning my eyes to the painting.

“Why not?” Bruce asked, looking at me. My eyes left the painting and I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Because I’m not your sister?” I replied. “I can’t live with you if I’m not related to you, that would just be weird Bruce.” 

Bruce let out a grumble and crossed his arms before falling backwards onto the bed.

“What was that?” I asked, looking down at him. 

“You could if we were married.” I stared at him before shaking my head.

“I’m six, almost seven, and you’re eight, Bruce. We can’t get married.” I said as a matter of fact. 

“Why not?” 

“Because you are too young, Master Bruce.” Alfred said as he entered the room with my nightgown hanging over his arm. Bruce scowled at Alfred. Alfred stared back with a cool face for a moment before turning to me. “Your nightgown, Miss Elle.”

“Thanks Alfred.” I said as I hopped off the bed and took the nightgown. I entered the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom and changed out of my clothes and into the nightgown Mrs. Wayne had bought me. 

Exiting the bathroom, I saw Bruce sulk out of the room with a gloomy look on his face. I gave Alfred a questioning look and the man sighed.

“Master Bruce does not like waiting.” Alfred simply said before bowing his head. “Have a good night, Miss Elle.”

Alfred shut the door behind him leaving me slightly confused. What does Bruce not like waiting for? I shrugged. Who knows, he is a boy after all. Who knows what goes on in their brains.

I glanced back down at my mother’s bracelet for a few more moments before gingerly placing it on the closest nightstand and climbing underneath the sheets.

It didn’t matter. How nice the sheets were, or how soft the bed was, my nightmares always came at night. Most nights I spent either tossing or turning or reliving Henry’s unpredictable anger outbursts. 

Officer Gordon had tried to get me to talk about the bruises I had when my brother first dropped me off at the precinct. There wasn’t anything I could say or do to help my brother and mother. Telling him wouldn’t make a difference, in fact, it would probably only make Henry madder. 

I rolled onto my back and let out a sigh as I stared at the ceiling. Mr. Randolph had arrived in Gotham. That meant someone would come by tomorrow to pick me up and bring me to Gotham General for whatever test would either confirm or deny my relationship to Mr. Randolph.

I hadn’t told Bruce. I am pretty sure Alfred hasn’t told him either. Of course I had talked to Rachel about it. She told me to tell Bruce but I couldn’t find the words and kept forgetting about it. He had that effect on me, the one where all problems just seemed to melt away. 

“Go to sleep Ellie.” I mumbled to myself before pulling my knees to my chest and curing into a small ball on my side. 

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I don’t remember exactly what happened in my dream. But what I do know is that it was bloody, and a lot of people died. It was weird how vivid my dreams got. Like how I could still feel the splashes of warm blood hit me as a man that looked like Henry waved a large knife around maniacally. 

It was scary because now that I was on my own, my brother wasn’t here to reassure me that it wasn’t real, and that Henry was too much of a coward to do something like that. It was little assurance, but my brother usual slept in my bed after a nightmare like that.

This bed was too big and too empty.

“Stupid brother, stupid Henry.” I grumbled to myself before rolling out of bed. I padded over to my door, left the bedroom and down the hall until I stopped in front of Bruce’s room. I cracked the door open and poked my head in. “Bruce?” 

“Can’t sleep?”

“Sorry…. but your beds are too big.” Bruce smirked at me and patted the place beside him.

“First time someone complained about the beds being too big.” 

“Oh shut up.” I grumbled as I climbed up onto his bed. I plopped face first down next to him and let out a sigh. “Night Bruce.”

“Night Ellie.”


	4. Chapter 4

I held my breath as footsteps drew near. My heart pounded in my chest as they stopped a few feet away. Seconds later the heavy curtain I was hiding behind was slid aside and Bruce’s face was in my field of vision.

I let out a squeak and darted towards the exit of the library, Bruce was hot on my heels. Thank god I decided to not wear socks today. I rounded a corner and bolted down the long stretch of hallway.

I was halfway down the hall when two long and skinny wrapped around my waist. Bruce and I went tumbling to the floor in a heap of limbs. 

“I told you I was faster!” I let out a huff as I sprawled out on the marble. My short sprint had taken a lot of energy.

“Yeah, yeah, Wayne.” I griped as I turned my head to look at Bruce’s face. He had his stupid little grin on his face. The one he showed when he proved himself right. 

“I told you he’d win.” I looked up to see Rachel looking down at us with her hands on her hips. 

“Just because you tell me something, doesn’t mean I’m automatically going to listen to you the first time.” I retorted as Rachel rolled her eyes. 

“You’re worse than Bruce sometimes, Ellie.” 

“Rachel!” A woman called from within the house. “Say goodbye to Bruce and Elle, it’s time to go!” 

“Well I’ll see you two hooligans later.” Rachel said before turning around and flouncing down the hallway. I let out a huff, grumbling about not being a hooligan while I got back to my feet.

“Now what do we do?” I asked. 

“You still want to learn how to play the piano?” Bruce asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“Duh,” I replied.

“Come on then,” Bruce replied before we headed for the library. One of the grand piano’s I knew the Wayne’s had sat in the corner of the library. Bruce sat down on the right side of the piano bench and patted the empty space beside him. I obediently sat down next to him and waited for the instructions. 

“First things first,” Bruce announced. “Posture. Feet flat on the floor and back straight.”

I flattened my feet on the floor and adjusted my posture until it was straight. I looked at Bruce.

“Second, you want loose, limber fingers.” Bruce placed a hand on the piano and showed how he arched his fingers and kept them loosely touching the ivory keys. Reaching up, I tried to mimic his hand, placing my own on the keys. “Your fingers are still too stiff and flat.”

Bruce reached over lifted my hand up slightly until my fingers were at a more bent position and only briefly touched the keys.

“That’s better.” Bruce said. “Now press down the keys I do. A. B. C.”

I copied his movements as Bruce pressed more keys. Single notes erupted from the piano. I don’t know how long Bruce and I sat next to each other, just pressing keys, but I found that I loved the sound of music. 

The rich notes that came from one key resonated in my body was gave me a calming feeling. Bruce moved from the white keys to the smaller black keys. Different notes came from the piano, similar to the ones previously but somehow so different. 

“Want to try a song?” 

“If I fail, I’m blaming you.” I responded before placing my hand back on the keys. Bruce grinned at me before shaking his head.

“I won’t let you fail, I’ll guide your hand to the keys.” Bruce said before placing his hand onto of mine. “Don’t forget, you can’t let your fingers get stiff.”

Bruce moved my hand to rest on a section of black and white keys before pressing my finger. 

“G sharp.” He said before pressing another one of my fingers. “C sharp, and E.”

We repeated the three keys over and over until Bruce moved my hand again and started to play different keys with my hand. 

“A, C sharp, E. A, C sharp, E.” He muttered as we pressed the keys. “A, D, F sharp.”

As the keys were pressed, a beautiful melancholic tune came from piano. Our hands moved around the piano pressing different keys as Bruce muttered each key we had pressed. The music filled the library until all I could hear was the tune coming from our fingers. 

Bruce lifted his hand as we finished what had to be the last note of whatever the piece of music had been.

“That was beautiful, what was it called?” I asked.

“Moonlight Sonata, Alfred taught that to me. There are different levels of the piece, but I thought you might enjoy the simplest one.” Bruce explained as he opened one of the music books sitting in front of us and flipping through the sheets. “There’s some pretty tricky stuff in here that I am still having a hard time playing.”

“What can you play?” I asked, before blushing. “I mean that in a nice way. I am sure you are a great pianist.” 

Bruce tapped his fingers on his chin as if thinking for a few seconds before putting his fingers back on the keys. His fingers flew across the white keys as a completely different tune came from the piano. Bruce finished the short piece.

A knocking on wood drew Bruce and I’s attention to the library doors. Alfred stood by the door looking regal as ever.

“Master Bruce, Miss Elle, it is time for dinner.” Bruce and I turned around on the piano bench and stood up. 

“What’s for dinner Alfred?” Bruce asked as we left the library and headed for the smaller dining room. 

“Beef Wellington, Master Bruce.” Bruce made a face and started grumbling about how a steak would have been better. While Alfred shook his head. “It was your fathers request, Master Bruce.” 

“Steak would have been better.” Bruce huffed as we entered the dining room. 

“Bruce, Elle.” Mrs. Wayne said with a bright smile. “How was your day?”

“It was fine, mother.” Bruce replied as we took our seats. “Rachel came over and I started teaching Elle how to play the piano.” 

“Did you?” Mr. Wayne said as Alfred started placing dishes on the table. “Did you enjoy the piano, Elle?” 

I nodded as Alfred deposited a slice of the Beef Wellington onto my plate. 

“Well that’s good that you enjoyed it, the piano is a lovely instrument.” Mr. Wayne replied. I nodded and started eating the food on my plate.   
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 

Dinner finished and after a wonderful dessert that included fudge brownie Sunday’s with homemade hot fudge and chopped Reeses, I headed to my room. I sat on the side of the bed I had been sleeping on and fingered the bracelet that my brother had wrapped around my wrist before leaving.

I had vague memories of my mother wearing it back when things were somewhat decent in our house. My mother and Henry both had stable jobs and my brother, and I went to school. 

Things might have been far from perfect, but to me at that time, it was paradise. There wasn’t anything I needed or wanted that I didn’t have, and there was no yelling. I think Henry fell into the wrong crowd. 

I don’t know what he got into but whatever it was, it is bad, and it destroyed the happiness in our small family. 

I let my hand drop back into my lap and stared at the beautiful painting hanging above the stone fireplace adjacent to the bed. I wish I had the talent to paint something as beautiful as that. The most I could paint or draw that this time was stick figures and suns in the corner of papers. 

My door opened slightly, and Bruce darted into the room, silently closing the door behind him. A few seconds later Bruce climbed up next to me and plopped his body down on the soft comforter. 

“Hey Bruce.” I muttered quietly. We sat in silence for a few moments. 

“I hope your father goes on more long trips.” Bruce said quietly. “That way you can come over all the time.”

“I can’t live with you, Bruce.” I said, giving him a side look before returning my eyes to the painting.

“Why not?” Bruce asked, looking at me. My eyes left the painting and I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Because I’m not your sister?” I replied. “I can’t live with you if I’m not related to you, that would just be weird Bruce.” 

Bruce let out a grumble and crossed his arms before falling backwards onto the bed.

“What was that?” I asked, looking down at him. 

“You could if we were married.” I stared at him before shaking my head.

“I’m six, almost seven, and you’re eight, Bruce. We can’t get married.” I said as a matter of fact. 

“Why not?” 

“Because you are too young, Master Bruce.” Alfred said as he entered the room with my nightgown hanging over his arm. Bruce scowled at Alfred. Alfred stared back with a cool face for a moment before turning to me. “Your nightgown, Miss Elle.”

“Thanks Alfred.” I said as I hopped off the bed and took the nightgown. I entered the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom and changed out of my clothes and into the nightgown Mrs. Wayne had bought me. 

Exiting the bathroom, I saw Bruce sulk out of the room with a gloomy look on his face. I gave Alfred a questioning look and the man sighed.

“Master Bruce does not like waiting.” Alfred simply said before bowing his head. “Have a good night, Miss Elle.”

Alfred shut the door behind him leaving me slightly confused. What does Bruce not like waiting for? I shrugged. Who knows, he is a boy after all. Who knows what goes on in their brains.

I glanced back down at my mother’s bracelet for a few more moments before gingerly placing it on the closest nightstand and climbing underneath the sheets.

It didn’t matter. How nice the sheets were, or how soft the bed was, my nightmares always came at night. Most nights I spent either tossing or turning or reliving Henry’s unpredictable anger outbursts. 

Officer Gordon had tried to get me to talk about the bruises I had when my brother first dropped me off at the precinct. There wasn’t anything I could say or do to help my brother and mother. Telling him wouldn’t make a difference, in fact, it would probably only make Henry madder. 

I rolled onto my back and let out a sigh as I stared at the ceiling. Mr. Randolph had arrived in Gotham. That meant someone would come by tomorrow to pick me up and bring me to Gotham General for whatever test would either confirm or deny my relationship to Mr. Randolph.

I hadn’t told Bruce. I am pretty sure Alfred hasn’t told him either. Of course I had talked to Rachel about it. She told me to tell Bruce but I couldn’t find the words and kept forgetting about it. He had that effect on me, the one where all problems just seemed to melt away. 

“Go to sleep Ellie.” I mumbled to myself before pulling my knees to my chest and curing into a small ball on my side. 

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
I don’t remember exactly what happened in my dream. But what I do know is that it was bloody, and a lot of people died. It was weird how vivid my dreams got. Like how I could still feel the splashes of warm blood hit me as a man that looked like Henry waved a large knife around maniacally. 

It was scary because now that I was on my own, my brother wasn’t here to reassure me that it wasn’t real, and that Henry was too much of a coward to do something like that. It was little assurance, but my brother usual slept in my bed after a nightmare like that.

This bed was too big and too empty.

“Stupid brother, stupid Henry.” I grumbled to myself before rolling out of bed. I padded over to my door, left the bedroom and down the hall until I stopped in front of Bruce’s room. I cracked the door open and poked my head in. “Bruce?” 

“Can’t sleep?”

“Sorry…. but your beds are too big.” Bruce smirked at me and patted the place beside him.

“First time someone complained about the beds being too big.” 

“Oh shut up.” I grumbled as I climbed up onto his bed. I plopped face first down next to him and let out a sigh. “Night Bruce.”

“Night Ellie.”


End file.
